Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the oral contribution of 25 September 2019 from the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, and Minister for the Cabinet Office, Official Report Column 739, how much money is available through business representative organisations to help North East manufacturers prepare for the UK leaving the EU; and which organisations are involved in this process.

The Business Readiness Fund makes up to £15M available to support Business Representative Organisations as they help to prepare businesses for leaving the EU on 31 October. As of 1 October, BEIS has approved 69 bids from business representative organisations. Further applications are still in the process of being reviewed. Applications have spanned a wide range of sectors (including manufacturing) and are from across the UK, including the North East of England. We continue to encourage bids until applications close on 7 October.